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Today, we found out disappointing news: the Army Corps of Engineers has granted Dominion Virginia Power a federal permit to construct approximately four miles of power lines and 17 transmission towers across the James River at Jamestown, which will dramatically alter this cherished historic landscape, Colonial National Historical Park, and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

Sharee Williamson, associate general counsel here at the National Trust says, “We are disappointed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant a permit for this project to build a massive transmission line across the James River at Jamestown...[However] the permitting process for Dominion’s proposal at the local level is not over. We are exploring our options and will continue to fight for the preservation of America’s Founding River.”

While this decision is a setback, we are no less determined to stop Dominion’s plans to degrade the historic landscape of the James River at Jamestown.

Update

On August 3, 2017, we joined with Preservation Virginia to file a lawsuit to ensure that legal, proper and reasonable steps are taken to protect this iconic place in American history. The Army Corps of Engineers granted Dominion’s permit without preparing a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which would include a thorough review of reasonable alternatives, and a transparent public process and comment period.

In support of the lawsuit’s filing, National Trust President and CEO Stephanie Meeks said, “ We know, and engineering experts have independently verified, viable alternatives exist that would meet the region’s power needs and protect this jewel of Virginian and American history.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation commissioned an independent engineering firm to complete a comprehensive study that identified four alternatives to Dominion’s preferred project across the James River at Jamestown. These experts determined that the alternatives would satisfy the area’s electrical needs and meet all relevant federal reliability standards, while also costing less and taking less time to build than Dominion’s proposal. The firm also concluded that these four alternatives are not an exhaustive list.

Dominion’s project proposes constructing a 500kV transmission line across the James River from Surry to Skiffes Creek. It also requires construction of a new Skiffes Creek substation and smaller 230kV powerline from Skiffes Creek to Whealton.

Since 2013 when the James River was first listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, the Trust has been actively working to encourage Dominion Virginia Power to pursue an alternative to building a 500 kV overhead transmission line across the river near historic Jamestown. The transmission line project proposed by Dominion would be visible from Jamestown Island, Colonial Parkway, National Historic Landmark Carter’s Grove plantation and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

The National Trust and our partner organizations have repeatedly requested that alternative projects be identified that could both meet Virginia’s energy needs and save the historic landscape of the James River. With that goal in mind, the National Trust recently hired an independent engineering firm that identified several potential alternatives to Dominion’s proposal.

The engineering firm developed four alternative projects that would avoid the need to construct an overhead 500KV transmission line across the James River. Each of these alternatives would cost less to construct, can be built more quickly, meets all relevant reliability standards, satisfies the energy needs in the region, and protects the historic landscape and resources along the James River. Details about the alternatives are available here.

Dominion’s project proposes constructing a 500kV transmission line across the James River from Surry to Skiffes Creek. It also requires construction of a new Skiffes Creek substation and smaller 230kV power line from Skiffes Creek to Whealton.

The National Trust has provided this new information on alternatives to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency reviewing Dominion’s request for a federal permit for this project. This information on alternatives could be used to support a decision to deny the permit for this project. At the very least, the Army Corps should fully review these new alternatives through preparation of a full Environmental Impact Statement. A close look at alternatives is required by federal law and the James River deserves nothing less.

We’re asking Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to call on the Army Corps to deny the federal permit. Please contact them today.

In a recent op-ed published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, National Trust President and CEO Stephanie Meeks responded to claims that Dominion's proposed transmission lines will not disrupt the historic integrity of the James River and surrounding sites.

Here's a sample:

In his recent Op/Ed column, “Preserving our past, enriching our future,” Dominion CEO Robert M. Blue voiced his appreciation for Virginia’s history while addressing the company’s proposed transmission line project across the James River. Unfortunately, as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Virginia, the National Park Service and many other national and regional preservation and conservation organizations have pointed out, Dominion’s proposal in fact threatens to harm some of the most historically significant sites in the commonwealth. As a result, just this week, the James River was included among the Trust’s annual list of 11 most endangered historic sites in the country.

Blue spends much time trying to minimize the transmission line’s potential impacts. But the proposed line would route 17 towers up to 295 feet tall — towers almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty — across the river where visitors from around the world come to experience early American history. This line would negatively impact Colonial National Park, Jamestown Island, Carter’s Grove Plantation, and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. We owe it to future generations to prevent this from happening.

Dominion’s project proposes constructing a 500kV transmission line across the James River from Surry to Skiffes Creek. It also requires construction of a new Skiffes Creek substation and smaller 230kV powerline from Skiffes Creek to Whealton.

Since declaring the James River a National Treasure, the Trust has worked hard to find alternatives to Dominion Power's efforts to construct new power lines, some as tall as the Statue of Liberty, within the historic triangle near Jamestown, Virginia.

While much of our work has happened through meetings and hearings, we also conducted a month-long campaign to bring awareness to the issue to residents of the region as well as nationally. As the fight continues, we were pleased to see a column by National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch earlier this week.

Within in the column, Director Jarvis demonstrates that his support for the cause is personal:

"Like any native-born Virginian, I like to tout my roots in the commonwealth. In the spring of 1620, the English ship Diana landed at Jamestown, and one of the 80 street kids who had been rounded up and shipped to the new land was John Jarvis. He survived the famine, and started a line of Jarvis families, who moved over the Blue Ridge in 1770 and into the Shenandoah Valley where I was born in 1953.

In the fourth grade I learned my Virginia history, which is our nation’s history, starting at Jamestown with famous people like Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, Powhatan and John Rolfe. In high school I worked at Natural Bridge, learning of its survey by George Washington and ownership by Thomas Jefferson. I attended the historic College of William and Mary, deepening my appreciation for both history and nature, often spending time on the James and York rivers and following the new archeological discoveries at Jamestown. I know these experiences led me to a 40-year career with the National Park Service, where I now serve as the director."

And he closes with a strong argument:

"Jamestown has been nobly preserved by the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia for more than 400 years and in partnership with the National Park Service since 1940. Each successive generation of Virginians, as well as countless visitors from across the nation and around the world, have been able to stand on that sacred ground at Jamestown and look downriver, feeling the isolation and challenges our first citizens experienced.

If the proposed power line moves forward, that historic view will be overrun with towers, power lines and blinking lights. There are other viable alternatives to the route of Dominion’s power line, but there is only one Jamestown, and we must protect it from this threat of permanent loss."